INside .. The Douglas College Newsletter m New Westminster Campus, David Lam Campus & Thomas Haney Campus Douglas College IN College awards honor excellence in education Douglas College is pleased to announce the winners of its new Awards of Educational Excellence. The awards, presented ata Douglas College Board meeting December 14, recognize student success and employee contributions to student success. This year’s winners include (title of award in parentheses): Antoine Giraud, English and Creative Writing (Student Educational Excellence and Achievement Award). Giraud, a Port Coquitlam resident, excelled in all areas of English and Creative Writing asa student. John Wilkins, Peer Tutor in the Learning Centre (Student Excellence Contributing to the College Community Award). Wilkins, a New Westminster resident and current student, provides significant assistance to many students as a peer tutor and is a major role model for older students returning to school. Melissa Mack, Laboratory Technician, Psychology (Staff Excellence Contributing to Student Success Award). Vancouver resident Mack’s many contributions include designing hands- on activities that bring Psychology course materials to life. Claudia Beaven, Psychology and Len Millis, Biology (Faculty Excellence Contributing to Student Success Award). Beaven, a Vancouver resident, is a pioneer in methods of instruction such as experiential and discovery learning, and collaborative or cooperative learning. New Westminster’s Millis, a College employee since it opened 30 years ago, is committed to student learning and is held in the highest esteem by his students and colleagues. Bev Miller, recently retired Dean, Child, Family & Community Studies (Administrative Excellence Contributing to Student Hamper program a success The College community came together to help 38 student families in need this Christmas season, according to Patty Lewis of the Financial Aid office. The families received Christmas hampers including items such as non-perishable food, grocery store gift certificates, and wrapped gifts for children. “The response has just been overwhelming,” Lewis says, noting that last year 27 families were helped. “It’s really taken off.” The hamper initiative aims to help as many students in need as possible, especially those with children. Financial Aid employees started out four years ago by helping one family, and two years ago the office invited the College as a Helping hand whole to participate. “It’s been a really positive thing in that the whole College community has come together to help,” Lewis says, adding that a Coaching Program class chipped in too. This year, families from all three College campuses received hampers. The hampers were to be delivered to families during the week of December 11. Satori Hiramatsu gives Alexandra Dal Santo a hand with her artwork during an Early Childhood Education Program “family morning" on November 17. The event gave first-year ECE students like Satori an opportunity to re- create a safe childcare centre in a New Westminster Campus classroom. Award winners include, from left, Bev Miller, Len Millis, Claudia Beaven, Antoine Giraud and John Wilkins. Not pictured here: Melissa Mack. Success Award). Coquitlam resident Miller's many achievements prior to her recent retirement include integrating curricula for six career programs and developing the College's Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition Program. The College’s Education Council established and administers the awards, and nominations for winners come from the college community. The awards consist of a certificate and a desktop memento. Community Mental Health Worker Program graduates in demand Twenty students of the Community Mental Health Worker (CMHW) CE Program celebrated their graduation December 12 at the Riverview Hospital auditorium. They're the second graduating class from the program, which first ran in Spring 2000 under the leadership of Roberta Bend. The graduates are in demand, according to Dawn McDonald, CE Health Care Programmer. Three of this term’s students found jobs in their field prior to finishing the program, and all 17 students from the first class are working, she says. “Obviously, it’s a program whose time has come,” McDonald says. “It really is a success story for the College, for CE and for the students.” Community mental health workers are entry-level workers in the mental health field. They are employed in mental health residences, clubhouses and larger facilities such as Riverview Hospital. Among other tasks, they assist people with mental health problems to carry out activities and prepare for school or work. Douglas College’s 380-hour, full-time CMHW program is becoming the basic requirement for entry-level work in the mental health field. The program typically takes four-and-a-half months to complete and appeals to those who are making a career change as well as those just beginning their careers in mental health. Operated in partnership with Riverview Hospital, the program evolved out of earlier mental health CE programming and was shaped through discussions with mental health professionals in the field. “We wanted their input so we would understand what they need,” McDonald says, adding that much of the credit for the program’s success goes to Coordinator Mary Van Veen. “Tm really happy that we can graduate people who have the skills and knowledge base to work with people with mental health issues,” Van Veen says. “For me personally, coordinating the program been a really rewarding and fulfilling experience, and I’ve enjoyed teaching it as well.” The program has run on Skills for Employment (SEP) funding from the Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology. The College hopes to obtain base funding from MAETT in order to transform it into a credit program. Another class of 24 students is set to start the program this month, and as of late November, 10 people were on a waiting list for the September offering. Quote of the Month “The new year is full of time. As the seconds tick away, will you be tossing time out the window, or will you make every minute count?” — Steven B. Cloud